Various materials have been proposed and utilized as insulating barriers, including thermoformable composites and laminates. In certain applications, such as vehicle headliners, the insulating barrier must be able to withstand temperatures exceeding 200.degree. F. for several hours without sagging, absorb sound and provide an attractive wear and scuff resistant finish surface. As will be understood, these requirements are difficult to achieve and have not been achieved by the prior art.
A typical thermoformable laminate used for automotive headliners is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,695,501. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 of such patent, the laminate includes polymeric foam laminae which are adhesively bonded and enclosed by "fabric" laminae, which are fiber mats impregnated with a thermoformable polymeric resin. In the commercial embodiment, the fiber of the mats has a fineness of about six denier and the foam is a closed cell styrene-maleic anhydride structural foam. The resultant laminate is subject to sagging at elevated temperatures because the nonwoven mat is bonded directly to the automotive roof. Thus, the automotive companies have required substantial improvements in structural integrity and sound attenuation, while also demanding that production costs be minimized.
Automotive headliners and interior body panels have evolved from a fabric layer on fiberboard to composite thermoformable laminates specifically designed or adapted to the requirements of the automotive original equipment manufacturer and the particular vehicle design. The technology of structural barriers, such as office partitions, has also evolved from a fabric covered foam to improved designs specifically adapted to provide an attractive self-supporting structures including composite laminates. The need, however, remains for improved thermal and sound barriers which are dimensionally stable, impact resistant and light-weight. The use of a porous foam or fiber mat substrate as disclosed in several prior art patents can be relatively expensive to manufacture. Thus, the need also remains for improved automotive body panels and headliners which are structurally stable, particularly at elevated temperatures, yet lightweight and inexpensive to manufacture.